The Witcher DRM...

[Qbah]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
Edit: God damn it I didn't realize this was a 2007 post, WTF guys?

I was replying to Talkjack, who apparently made a 1-post visit to pimp his blog and perhaps get some attention (in a wrong way, too) by criticizing a mild form of copy protection on The Witcher

 

[Pia]

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Yes, we all hate DRM.

Problem is, no one has the guts to do anything about it. If you don't like DRM, then either A) Don't buy the game or B) Write the publisher/Developer via snail mail. Or, the third C) Learn to program and create you own titles.

If you are concerned of only the immediate practical problems of DRM (such as the one OP encountered) and not longer term things like continued ability to play the game over time/several installs, then there's a superior alternative to A).

Buy game, and if the DRM causes it to fail, return it specifying why. This is probably the strongest message you can send. You were provably willing to shell out the money for the game, but due to the DRM, they will not get to keep it.

 

[DefRef]

I didn't catch that this was an old thread bumped up from the grave either, but that explains why someone was claiming Crysis only sold >100K copies.

I have The Witcher EE and it loaded and ran fine without even entering the key which I didn't even know existed in the guide manual. I've put on the patch to put the boobalicious cards and naked green chick in and have a NoCD patch on it so I can store the disc safely away and it runs fine. I've only had two crashes in around 12-15 hours of play.

I think a lot of these "ZOMG!!! DRM iz teh h4X!!11!eleven!!" posts are just thieving punks trying to justify their piracy. It used to be that the games were overpriced or buggy, now it's DRM as the excuse to strike a blow for consumers. (And get a free game for themselves.) Please.

 

[shingletingle]

Originally posted by: Pia

Originally posted by: Bateluer
Yes, we all hate DRM.

Problem is, no one has the guts to do anything about it. If you don't like DRM, then either A) Don't buy the game or B) Write the publisher/Developer via snail mail. Or, the third C) Learn to program and create you own titles.

If you are concerned of only the immediate practical problems of DRM (such as the one OP encountered) and not longer term things like continued ability to play the game over time/several installs, then there's a superior alternative to A).

Buy game, and if the DRM causes it to fail, return it specifying why. This is probably the strongest message you can send. You were provably willing to shell out the money for the game, but due to the DRM, they will not get to keep it.

I'd like you to name a store where they will except an open-box return on a PC game.

 

[extra]

Originally posted by: DefRef
I didn't catch that this was an old thread bumped up from the grave either, but that explains why someone was claiming Crysis only sold >100K copies.

I have The Witcher EE and it loaded and ran fine without even entering the key which I didn't even know existed in the guide manual. I've put on the patch to put the boobalicious cards and naked green chick in and have a NoCD patch on it so I can store the disc safely away and it runs fine. I've only had two crashes in around 12-15 hours of play.

I think a lot of these "ZOMG!!! DRM iz teh h4X!!11!eleven!!" posts are just thieving punks trying to justify their piracy. It used to be that the games were overpriced or buggy, now it's DRM as the excuse to strike a blow for consumers. (And get a free game for themselves.) Please.

I call B.S. DRM really is just a load of crap. I pay for my games. I've been playing wow (so does my wife) off and on since release. I bought crysis warhead at release..hl2 at release...oblivion at release...you get the idea...

First thing I did after I installed oblivion was install the no-cd crack from some "evil, evil, pirates"...

Companies should focus on making it as easy as possible and convenient of possible to buy and play their games... if they insist on being draconian, don't install what amounts to basically malware on my machine... just make us create a login and sign in over the internet like you hafta do with subscription based mmo's to play, and have in the terms of use that if the login servers will be taken offline a patch that disables it will be released, or something. Be upfront about it, say your going to require an internet connection to play, but don't install what often amounts to be rootkits behind my back.

 

[Regs]

I think a lot of these "ZOMG!!! DRM iz teh h4X!!11!eleven!!" posts are just thieving punks trying to justify their piracy.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought the same. Though the CD not working because of over zealous protection does drive me crazy some time. Gamecopyworld.com seems to fix those rare occasions.

Why people tout steam over DRM makes me go insane too. People rather have Steam, which takes up local RAM resources, opens up numerous FTP ports and protocols, knows everything about what you purchase, what software, and what hardware you run on, but DRM is "not safe" and is considered malware? Granted, Steam offers a lot of benefits but should not be compared to software protection as even Steam games carry protection. Steam is just a delivery system.

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: Talkjack
If you have legally purchased The Witcher in the UK you will have difficulty installing the free official Enhanced Edition expansion after you download it. This is because the UK edition of The Witcher did not include a printed manual, just a pdf.

The Withcher Enhanced Edition has the old style DRM which requires you to key in a registration number pritned on your manual when you run the setup program. Of course, if you purchased a copy on the UK then you have no such code!

Don't download a pirate copy to get around this DRM error in order to play the expansion you are entitled to if you purchased the original. Dismayed by the lack of official FAQ on the subject at the time I went through this rigmaole, I have written some instructions on how to legally get around this problem. You can find them on my blog:

http://talkjack.wordpress.com/drm/

Hope this helps some honest customers who were stuck like I was!

... Talkjack

Mine required no code, and I purchased the UK version. (I just installed it two nights ago, so it is fresh in my mind) It does have a simple CD check though.

 

[jonks]

Originally posted by: Martimus

Originally posted by: Talkjack
If you have legally purchased The Witcher in the UK you will have difficulty installing the free official Enhanced Edition expansion after you download it. This is because the UK edition of The Witcher did not include a printed manual, just a pdf.

The Withcher Enhanced Edition has the old style DRM which requires you to key in a registration number pritned on your manual when you run the setup program. Of course, if you purchased a copy on the UK then you have no such code!

Don't download a pirate copy to get around this DRM error in order to play the expansion you are entitled to if you purchased the original. Dismayed by the lack of official FAQ on the subject at the time I went through this rigmaole, I have written some instructions on how to legally get around this problem. You can find them on my blog:

http://talkjack.wordpress.com/drm/

Hope this helps some honest customers who were stuck like I was!

... Talkjack

Mine required no code, and I purchased the UK version. (I just installed it two nights ago, so it is fresh in my mind) It does have a simple CD check though.

It only reqs the cd the first time you play. After I installed EE it asked me once, and now it doesn't need the disc in the drive to play.

 

[Martimus]

Originally posted by: jonks
It only reqs the cd the first time you play. After I installed EE it asked me once, and now it doesn't need the disc in the drive to play.

Thanks. That will make it easier. I love games that remove the CD check after a while, cause it makes it more likely that I will actually play it again in the future when I am bored. (I usually am not a fan of swapping disks.)

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: jonks
It only reqs the cd the first time you play. After I installed EE it asked me once, and now it doesn't need the disc in the drive to play.

Yep, that was my experience as well. After my first session I took the disk out to watch a movie, played the game later and then realized that I had forgotten to reinsert the disk.

 

[Oyeve]

I have never had a DRM issue ever. And I bought 1000s of games that have DRM. I only occasionally have issues going online with some games but its ALWAYS a punkbuster issue. Granted I do not have alchohol (only the drinkable kind) or the like on my system but DRM has never affected me...........................yet.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: homercles337
I have the full retail, and patched version of The Witcher. I go to play a short while ago and the DRM keeps telling me to insert the original disc. Nothing works! :| Now im going to have to reinstall. Im sure this is going to work well my save games (mostly through chapter 2). When will these idiot publishers *stop* punishing customers that *pay* for their product? If its not nearly 100% bug-free DRM dont force it on paying customers. Assholes.

Install the game, authenticate, and download the cracked .exe file. Works awesome for me (why the disc check for a SP game after an Online authentication?)